Ascent Passport

Technical class
Pamir-Alay, Gissar ridge, Zamin-Karor massif
Zamin-Karor peak (I-st Western) via Western wall through western shoulder
5B category of difficulty
Height difference 900 m, length 1300 m, sections of 5B category of difficulty 250 m, average steepness of the route 75°
Driven pitons: rock 8 + 4* закладок 42 bolt pitons – * — use of previously driven pitons.
Duration: 18 hours, days: 2
One overnight stay (lying)
Leader: Karzanov Alexander Vladimirovich CMS Participants: — Antonov Sergey Vasilyevich CMS — Bogdanov Boris Borisovich CMS — Gogin Alexander Alexandrovich CMS
Coach: Arefieva Rufina Grigorievna MS
Departure to the route July 20, 1987 summit July 21, 1987 return July 21, 1987
Organization: MGS DSO "Burevestnik" (MSU).

Table of main characteristics of the ascent route to Yaghnob peak via North-Western wall

Height difference: 1300 m Most difficult sections: 430 m Average steepness:

Sections passed	Average steepness of the section	Length	Characteristic of sections and conditions of passage	Weather conditions	Time of bivouac	Time of departure	Duration (hours)	Time taken	Overnight stay conditions	Rock pitons	Ice pitons
			By relief character	By technical difficulty	By overcoming method and belay
R1	55°	40 m	Dissected slabs	Difficult	Free climbing, alternate	Excellent	16:00–8:00	54	6		Base camp
R2	75°	90 m	Destroyed rocks with holds	Difficult	Free climbing, alternate			5	16	3
R3 (28/X)	90°	30 m	Destroyed, blocky rocks	Very difficult	Without backpack, with ladder, alternate	Excellent	18:00–8:00	104	10	2	Lying, talus, shelf
R4	70°	40 m	Monolithic wall	Very difficult	Without backpack, alternate				8	1
R15	80°	40 m	Smoothed monolithic wall	Without backpack, with ladder	Extremely difficult				10	3
R36				Easy
R7 (Эби: 29/X)	60°	40 m	Talus shelf, destroyed rocks	Medium		Excellent	19:00	11:30	5		Grassy shelf
R18	80°	40 m	Indistinct internal corner	Very difficult	Without backpack, alternate				9
R19	35°	15 m	Shelf	Easy	Rappel			1
R10	85°	60 m	Diagonal internal corner with a hold	Extremely difficult	Without backpack, 10 m ladder				19	2
R11	50-60%	50 m	Destroyed shale gully	Medium and difficult	Alternate				6	1
R12	85–105°	40 m	Destroyed rocks in the middle part, overhanging	Extremely difficult	Without backpack, with ladder				8	1
R13	45°	40 m	Boundary of "ram's foreheads" and transverse wall	Medium	Alternate					4
R14	30–60°		Water drain window	Easy					2
R15 (30/X)	50°	40 m	Holds under the wall	Medium and easy	Simultaneous, alternate	Excellent	20:900	11
R16	70°	40 m	Internal corner with overhanging plug, nathech, ice	Extremely difficult	Without backpacks, alternate				6	1
R17	60°	20 m	Internal corner, ice-filled	Difficult	Alternate
R18	40°	80 m	Intermittent shelf, transition to talus	Easy	Alternate
R19	55°	20 m	Ice-covered large-block rocks	Medium difficulty	Alternate				2
R20	30°	40 m	Talus shoulder	Easy	Simultaneous
R21	85–100°	85 m	Internal corner, overhanging at the top	Difficult and very difficult	Without backpacks, alternate				22	1
R23	90–80°	40 m	Internal corner with interrupted hold	Very difficult	Without backpacks, 212 m — ladder, alternate				15
R23 (31/X)	50°	40 m	Large-block rocks	Medium difficulty	Alternate	Strong wind, snowfall	16:800	8	6		Lying. Talus, shelf
R24	100°		Overhanging wall in the hold	Very difficult	Alternate	Snowfall		1
R25	30°	50 m	Talus, destroyed rocks	Easy	Simultaneous
R26	70°	40 m	Large-block internal corner	Difficult	Alternate
R27	70°	30 m	Smooth slabs under the cornice with a hold	Very difficult	Without backpacks, alternate
R28	85°	40 m	Blocky wall, sandstone	Very difficult	Without backpacks, alternate	Snowfall, wind	16:22				Overnight stay on descent
R29 (1/XI)	35-40°	300 m	Wide talus shelf	Easy	Simultaneous			X
R30	45°	60 m	"Ram's foreheads"	Medium difficulty	Alternate, simultaneous belay				8
R31	30°	100 m	Passage in the wall	Easy
R32	30°	500 m	Talus slab ridge	Easy	Simultaneous and alternate
Total:								49.5 h	174	14	15

Photo 1. Zamin-Karor, Western shoulder. Western wall.

Pitons, закладки (18 hours) Total: 8 + 4* pitons, 44 закладки.

Route thread:

R25–R26: 700 m, 40°, category 1. Pitons: 1.
R24–R25: 60 m, 60°, category 1.
R23–R24: 5 m, 85°. Pitons: 1.
R22–R23: 200 m.
R21–R22: 30 m, 90°, category 5. Pitons: 2.
R20–R21: 40 m.
R19–R20: 40 m, 75°, category 5. Закладок: 5.
R18–R19: 50 m, 65°, category 3.
R17–R18: 30 m.
R16–R17: 4 m, 90°, category 6.
R15–R16: 40 m.
R14–R15: 40 m, 90°, category 5. Pitons: 2. Закладок: 7.
R13–R14: 20 m, 85°, category 5. Pitons: 2. Закладок: 4.
R12–R13: 40 m, 70°, category 4. Закладок: 6. (Control cairn)
R11–R12: 40 m.
R10–R11: 5 m, 85°, category 5.
R9–R10: 80 m.
R8–R9: 50 m, 65°, category 2. Закладок: 4. («Чаша»)
R7–R8: 200 m, 30°.
R6–R7: 60 m, 75°, category 4. Pitons: 2*. Закладок: 4.
R5–R6: 10 m, 85°, category 5. Pitons: 2. Закладок: 2.
R4–R5:
R3–R4: 40 m, 85°, category 5. Pitons: 1 + 2*. Закладок: 6.
R2–R3: 10 m.
R1–R2: 30 m, 85°, category 5. Pitons: 1. Закладок: 5.
R0–R1: 40 m, 45°, category 2.

Sections and comments:

Section	Comment
R0–R1	Simple walls with shelves overgrown with grass. Simultaneous movement. Belay for ledges.
R1–R2	Complex wall with a small overhang (Photo 2). Good friction, pronounced microrelief. In the overhang, medium-sized закладки go well.
R2–R3	Gentle grassy shelf.
R3–R4	Chimney climbing through offshoots. In the upper part, the offshoot overhangs.
R4–R5	Shelf.
R5–R6	Short, quite complex wall with a small number of holds.
R6–R7	Alternating walls made of blocks with good holds and shale rocks that crumble heavily. Belay mainly for ledges.
R7–R8	«Чаша». Smooth slabs, gentle at first and steeper at the end. Friction movement, simultaneous.
R8–R9	Wall, then diagonal shelf, then small chimney with a plug. Закладки go well.
R9–R10	Long diagonal shelf with "live" stones.
R10–R11	Vertical wall with good holds. Above the wall lie "live" stones, need to be very careful. The wall leads to a talus shelf to the control cairn. Here is a good platform for a tent.
R11–R12	Talus shelf.
R12–R13	Diagonal offshoot (Photo 3). Climbing like chimney.
R13–R14	Steep wall with almost no relief, with a crack. Wedges and small закладки go into the crack. The wall leads under an overhang, which is bypassed on the left.
R14–R15	Another wall (Photo 4), but friction is better and there are more holds. Steep, climbing is difficult.
R15–R16	Diagonal shelf with "live" stones.
R16–R17	The shelf has a "step" — a small wall. Passed by free climbing.
R17–R18	Continuation of the shelf. There is a platform for a tent here.
R18–R19	Section of relatively easy rocks: small walls alternate with small platforms.
R19–R20	Wall with good friction, offshoot, and overhang in the upper part. The overhang is passed on the right.
R20–R22	Horizontal shelf leads under a wall consisting of thin horizontal layers of rock. The central part of the wall is wet. Climbing is unpleasant, "psychological", as it is difficult to organize reliable belay. The wall leads to a shelf under the pre-summit tower of the Western shoulder.
R22–R24	To the left, bypassing the pre-summit tower with a gain in height. The shelf leads under a wide inclined chimney. In the middle of the chimney, there is a plug. Bypassed on the right along the wall of the chimney.
R24–R25	Simple rocks lead to the Western shoulder. Here are good platforms, there is snow.
R25–R26	Inclined slabs with gutters from water. местами covered with small talus or filled with water. Good friction. Simultaneous movement. The slabs lead to a snow-rock ridge. Along it — to the summit.

Photo 3. Sections R11–R14 are visible.

Related to

Ascent Passport

Table of main characteristics of the ascent route to Yaghnob peak via North-Western wall

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